Storms, Solace, & Sleepovers
by Marty522
Summary: TU01 - Kuki's hosting a sleepover. Meanwhile, Wally invites some guys over for a guys' night. Should be fun for everyone, as long as this storm doesn't get too bad...
1. The Sleepover

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN **_**CODENAME: KIDS NEXT DOOR**_

* * *

_**A/N:**_** Hello. If you're not familiar with me, here's what you need to know: this is the first in a series taking place in an alternate timeline called the Trent Universe. Now, before that scares you off, I ask you to just peek at the appropriate section on my profile: it explains the premise. Basically, most known KND canon holds true. The TU concentrates more on unexplained and unresolved things from the show. With that said, the series centers around an all-new plotline and features some new OCs, and some admitted deviations from canon... it's a fanfic, what do you expect? You don't need to know anything about it beforehand; everything is explained in due time.**

**Anywho, for a glimpse of what's to come, check out **_**The Saccharine Exposure **_**while you wait for updates. It's a sorta prologue, though it's not required.**

**Hmm... oh, and this takes place sometime late Season 5. But remember: it's an alternate timeline, so nothing in the future is guaranteed... ;) Please enjoy!**

**To those of you who've seen me around, everything below is for you:**

**And so, my series begins. And what better way to start it than out of order? Allow me to explain myself (I'll try to be brief): I decided to cut a couple of the early stories (**_**Our Worlds In Conflict**_** and **_**Operation: C.A.M.P.S.**_**) because they caused things to start a li'l **_**too **_**slow. I still plan on writing them, but they won't be part of the TU. Also, **_**Operation: S.E.C.R.E.T.S.A.N.T.A. **_**now takes place **_**before**_** this, chronologically speaking. But, since that's a standalone Christmas story, and it's now February, it makes more sense to keep it an optional read. Don't worry: OpSS Redux is in the works. ;)**

**For those who read **_**The Saccharine Exposure**_**, this takes place a while after (**_**TSE**_** happened around Season 3, whereas this takes place late Season 5).**

**Thanks for sticking with me this far. You won't be disappointed, I swear it.**

**Sorry for the long A/N. Let's get started!**

* * *

**STORMS, SOLACE, AND SLEEPOVERS**

* * *

**CHAPTER 1: THE SLUMBER PARTY**

* * *

"Man, that weathuhgirl wuzn't lyin'," Abby said to herself, gazing upward as she strode down the sidewalk. "That storm is def'nitely about to hit town. Heh, perfect weathuh to be _indoors_."

Indeed, Abigail Lincoln was on her way to a slumber party at the house of her teammate and close friend, Kuki Sanban. While she wasn't typically keen on attending sleepovers, due to them being much girlier junctions than the tomboyish girl really cared for, she was always there for Kuki's; ironic, yes, but she found Kuki's particular girliness to be endearing (_most_ of the time).

The sky above was one huge mix of greys: light, dark, and every shade in between. The puffy ceiling mixed these shades with countless swirls in one seemingly neverending cloud. If Abby stared at it long enough, she would almost expect the rest of the world to be greyscale when she looked back down at it.

The distant booming of thunder drew the girl's eyes to the horizon ahead of her, between the rows of houses on either side of the road, where the greys gave way to black. She couldn't see the rain yet, but she could feel the air growing damp. Complimenting this hint of impending weather was a chilly breeze, which was much cooler than the temperature otherwise. Abby readjusted her backpack as she made a silent prediction: this is storm was gonna be a doozy.

"Brr! Abby shoulda worn a jacket." She stuck her hands into her pockets, allowing herself an exaggerated shiver. "Wuzn't this bad when she left the house. Shoulda known it'd cool off like this, though." She then took notice of a light pink house across the street on her right, and smiled. "Well, at least Abby's almost there."

She checked both ways, and hurried across the street. As soon as her feet hit the sidewalk on the other side, a familiar voice caught her attention.

"Numbuh 5!"

* * *

_**EARLIER THAT DAY**_

* * *

Kuki skipped across the bridge of KND Moonbase Global Command, contentedly humming a cheery song to herself. She had made the trip to Moonbase all by her lonesome- a first for her- to make a delivery to the Supreme Leader, Numbuh 362 herself. How Kuki, of all people, wound up with the assignment was a long story, but she was positively brimming with excitement; after the mission dubbed Operation: F.A.S.T.F.O.O.D., Kuki wasn't exactly trusted with carrying out important assignments. True, she was named temporary leader of Sector V when Nigel Uno went feral, but she later realized that was only because she wouldn't actually be affecting anything.

This was her big chance to prove that she could do things right!

"Stop right there!" Kuki halted obediently, and looked over at her Irish superior, who stood between her and Numbuh 362. "State your business!"

Kuki's smile broadened slightly as she raised the brown package in her hands to eye level. "Hiya, Numbuh 86! I'm on a secret, special, really important mission for the Supreme Leader. I need to make sure she gets this."

Numbuh 86, whom Kuki also knew as Fanny Fulbright, eyed her with suspicion for a moment, before donning an approving smile. "Great work, Numbuh 3! I knew we could count on you not to mess this up, like some _boy_ woulda..." She spun around, and led Kuki to the Supreme Leader, who stood before the Moonbase Master Command Console in the middle of a video call with some operative Kuki didn't recognize.

"Look, I know it stinks, but that brussel sprout farm needs to go! I have full confidence that your team is fully capable of this task. So, move out, and good luck, Numbuh 37!" The boy on the screen saluted, and the transmission ended. Rachel McKenzie, better known as Numbuh 362, turned around to face the two girls approaching her.

Kuki saluted. "Miss Supreme Leader, ma'am, sir!" She presented the package. "Mission accomplished!"

Numbuh 362 accepted the package with a smile. "Well, it looks like I was right to trust you with this after all, Numbuh 3."

Kuki beamed. "Of course, Numbuh 362, sir! I would have gladly given my life to deliver this safely and soundly. I know how important this is. No one takes this stuff more seriously than I do!"

"I like your enthusiasm, Numbuh 3," Rachel said, staring at the package in her hands. After a moment, she spun back around and set the package down on the command console. Kuki and Fanny stepped up on either side of her and watched her viciously tear through the brown wrapping paper, which revealed a flimsy cardboard box.

"Go on," Fanny urged. "Open it!"

The blonde chuckled at her friend's eagerness, and opened the box. All three of them gasped.

"It's... it's..." Fanny stuttered. "It's... _adorable!_"

Rachel raised the cyan Rainbow Monkey out of the box, and the girls' faces lit up with joy. The next few minutes were spent passing the stuffed animal between them, giggling and gabbing about how fabulous Rainbows Monkies are. It was a ridiculously girly scene.

"I told you I was the best kid for the job," Kuki said once she managed to control her giggling. "No Rainbow Monkey is going to get hurt on my watch!"

Rachel took another few seconds to control her own laughing. "I never doubted you for a second. So, you said there was something you wanted to ask me?"

"Yeah! What are you doing tonight?"

"Uh..." Rachel cocked an eyebrow. "Probably... just... I donno, watch some TV or something. Why?"

"Weeell, Numbuh 5 is coming over to my house to spend the night. Maybe you'd like to come over, too. You know, make it a real slumber party!"

Rachel examined Kuki's hopeful expression. Ever since last Christmas, when Rachel had been dealing with family issues and Sector V invited her to enjoy the holidays with them, she'd started spending more time with them outside of work. She still wasn't exactly a regular around the treehouse, but she was no stranger. In that time, Kuki seemed to really take a liking to her, though Rachel just attributed that to her being the abnormally friendly girl she was.

"I would like that," Rachel said.

Fanny, seeing that she had no part in this conversation, was still smiling at the Rainbow Monkey. As Kuki explained (in great detail) all of the fun they were going to have, the redhead stole a glance down at her feet, and turned away. She had a lot of work to do, and the Supreme Leader obviously didn't need her right then. She started off toward a communications console; Sector CA was staging an assault, and she needed to make sure their stupid boy leader had a solid plan of action.

Rachel noticed Fanny's downward glance. She watched her as she walked off, not noticing the smiling slipping off her own face. Kuki noticed, and followed Rachel's gaze.

"Numbuh 86! Where are you going?"

Fanny spun around. "Oh, uh, I was just goin' to the, uh... 'cause Sector..." She stopped herself. Stuttering wouldn't convince anyone of anything. "Just... heh heh... doin' my job."

"Cool! So, are you coming over, too?"

Fanny's jaw hung open. "Uh... y-you're invitin' _me?_"

Kuki giggled. "Of course, silly! Why wouldn't I?"

Fanny drooped her shoulders and rubbed her forearm. "Well, I don't get invited to things very... ever. You really want me to come?"

"Well, _yeah_," Kuki said indignantly, as if finding Fanny's surprise to be totally ridiculous. "You're my friend, remember?"

"I... I am?"

"Yes! I told you that, remember? After your last slumber party?"

Fanny thought for a moment, and couldn't help but chuckle. "Yeah. That's when Numbuh 12 stole the code module because I was stupid enough to let my guard down."

"Yeeeaaah. Good times. So, are you coming?"

It took a moment, but Fanny's smile slowly returned to full strength. "Alright. I'll be there."

Kuki hopped up and down with excitement. "Great! See you then!"

Fanny turned away and headed off again, smiling this time. Kuki watched, and then looked over at Rachel, who nodded in approval.

"Thank you, Numbuh 3."

"What? I was just inviting a friend."

* * *

"Numbuh 5!"

Abby turned her head toward the voice, and smiled when she saw Rachel approaching. "Hello, sir. Di'n't know you'd be joinin' us tonight."

"Numbuh 3 just invited us this morning."

Abby opened her mouth to reply just as Fanny stepped out from behind Rachel. Abby raised an eyebrow , and the twp stared at each other for a moment, neither saying a word. The silence was definitely awkward.

"Well!" Rachel clapped her hands together, and projected her voice just a little louder than necessary. "It's probably gonna rain soon. What say we all get inside and get this slumber party started?"

"Yeaaah," Abby said slowly, turning and heading toward the front door. "Gonna be a sto'my night."

* * *

_**A/N:**_** Yepp, so there that is.**

**Thanks for reading!**

**- Marty**


	2. The Guys' Night In

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN _CODENAME: KIDS NEXT DOOR_**

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**_A/N:_**** Aaand we're back! I just wanna make a quick note: this story is very much relevant to future stories in the series. It's OK that you don't understand how yet. ;)**

**Anywho, a quick sidenote: guys don't have slumber parties or sleepovers, though; those are _girl_ things. We stay up all night playing video games and eating junk food until we crash. You can call it whatever you want.**

**Thanks to fictionlover94, numbuh 1x1, OperativeKND-Barry14, and catspats13 for your reviews. I'm glad y'all didn't think my opener sucked. lol**

**I got nothin' else, so let's see what the guys are up to, aye?**

* * *

**CHAPTER 2: THE GUYS' NIGHT IN**

_(Also known as, "Guys' Night Playing Video Games And Eating Junk Food Until They Pass Out… Night")_

* * *

"Move, move, _move!_"

The dozen or so recruits army crawled across the icy floor of the KND Arctic Training Base's Combat Training Arena, each trying to keep ahead of the kid next to them. No one wanted to finish last, lest the towering Numbuh 60 get his hands on them for being slowest. He wasn't the cruel, terrifying bully Numbuh 86 was, but rumor had it that if you got on his bad side, he was much, _much_ worse. Naturally, _no one_ wanted to find out.

"I said mooove! Keep your heads down! In case you need any help with that, I've got a couplea friends here with some motivation!"

The drill sergeant named Patton Drilovsky nodded to Hoagie and Wally next to him. The two exchanged menacing grins, and got to work unleashing live ammunition mere inches above the recruits' heads.

Patton continued. "To be specific, 5,000 rounds of relish-flavored motivation, each! If you don't keep your head down, you're gonna get served up like a hotdog at a ball game on hot summer's day! Now _mooove!_"

* * *

A little while later, a wave of recruits flooded into the frozen hallway, followed by the three veteran operatives. The trio headed in the opposite direction.

"Thanks for assisting with the training, you two," Patton said. "Coulda done it myself, of course, but help is always appreciated. Not to mention, having Sector V interact with the recruits like that is a good way to keep them motivated. You are the most widely known Sector in the KND, after all."

"No problem," Hoagie said, literally waving off the kind words with his hand.

"Seriously. We were here anyway," Wally said, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Brought in that Midwestern Mom lady to lock up over in the prison. We needed somethin' to do while Numbuh 1 dealt with 'er."

Patton chuckled. "That's the sixth adult your Sector's brought in in the last two weeks. Been working hard to keep that impressive track record, huh?"

"You know it!" Hoagie heaved in a deep breath and let out an exaggeratedly worn-out-sounding sigh. "It's tough, but someone's gotta be the best."

"Yup, and that's why I do what I do. And tonight, what I'm gonna be doin' is kickin' your sorry behind in some video games!"

"Oh, puh-lease, Numbuh 4! You _never_ win against me! Or anyone, really. Not even Numbuh 3."

"_Hey!_ Anyone can have a lucky game, alright?"

"Sure. Especially when they play against their _cruuush!_"

The three boys entered the hangar. Wally threw his arms in the air and opened his mouth to retort, but was cut off by a British-accented voice. "Ah, there you are! Where were you guys?"

Patton immediately stepped up to Nigel. "They were assisting me with training the recruits, Numbuh 1. Any tardiness is entirely my fault."

Nigel smiled. "No worries, Numbuh 60. I just wanted to make sure they weren't getting themselves into trouble before tonight."

"Don't worry, Numbuh 1," Hoagie said nonchalantly, taking his spot next to Patton. "No way are we risking anything that could get in the way of tonight."

Wally chimed in. "Besides, we're already down a player. Numbuh 35's parents decided to spring a surprise campin' trip on him? Some cruddy surprise, if you ask me…"

"So we're not gonna be able to play two on two," Hoagie continued. "But worse, it means we won't have enough people to beat that Zombie Conqueror campaign like we'd planned. It just can't be done without a fourth player!"

Nigel planted his hands on his hips. "And why not? I know I'm not the strongest player, but there's no reason the three of us can't handle the undead horde by ourselves!"

"Uh, yeah, on _Easy!_ But we were gonna try to beat it on _Stupid Difficult_, remember?"

"So? How difficult could it really be? And don't say, 'stupid difficult'."

Patton chuckled. "It spawns four times as many enemies with three times as much health, _aaand_ the special zombies become immune to certain things! If you go in not expecting a challenge, you're gonna be a nice spaghetti dinner before you can even pass the apartment level!"

The three Sector V boys stared at him. He smirked at their astonishment. "What? Did you think this boy didn't like video games too? This job ain't the only thing in my life, you know."

Wally and Hoagie exchanged glances.

"Say, Numbuh 60…" Wally grinned. "What are _you_ doin' tonight?"

* * *

Wally slid down the banister in his house, landing gracefully at the bottom. He had told the other guys to arrive at 5 o'clock, and it was almost-

"Oh, Wallabeeeeee!"

Wally clinched his fists, and turned to looked into the kitchen on his right. "_What_, mom?! My friends are gonna be here any minute! You gonna bother me all night?"

Mrs. Beetles twisted around, and pointed the large wooden spoon in her hand at him like a taser. "Don't you start with the attitude, young man! I don't think…!"

Wally facepalmed, groaning. "I'm sorry, mother. It won't happen again," he recited in a monotone voice.

"That's alright! You're probably just a little anxious for your friends to arrive at your _first_ _slumber party!_"

"Mom! It's not a slumber party! It's… just… us guys… hanging out! Overnight!"

Mrs. Beetles giggled. "Whatever you say, darling…"

The doorbell rang. A smile appeared on Wally's face as he hurried to the door. He pulled it open, and found all three of his invited guests standing before him.

"Hey guys, c'mon in!"

Nigel entered first with a black duffle bag in tow, followed by Hoagie with a large brown backpack, and then Patton with an oversized green bag… thing.

"What kinda bag is _that?_" Wally wondered aloud, pushing the door shut and following the others to the stairs.

"It's a seabag. My uncle gave it to me for my birthday. You can fit all kinds of junk in here."

"Huh."

Wally reached the stairs himself, just as his mother called out to him again. "Wallabeeeeeee!"

"Ugh… _What?!_ What could it possibly be this time?!" He cringed, realizing his mother was probably about to beat him for yelling at her again. Instead, she approached him with a large plate, and presented it to him.

"I made pizza rolls for you and your friends!"

Wally relaxed, even let out a quiet sigh of relief. "Th-thanks, mom." He grabbed the plate, and headed off to his room.

* * *

**_A/N:_**** Yeah, I know. "Oh, look, the couples are all coming together. Imagine that. It's a wonder Sonya & Lee aren't here." Well, I needed the sleepovers to be bigger than two people each, and I'm trying to keep from inventing unnecessary OCs. And, trust me, I considered Lee & Sonya. I am a fan of them both. But, I feel like I'm already pushing it by including Rachel, Patton and Fanny like I am; I'm trying to keep it plausible.**

**Thanks for reading! Lemme know what you think so far! Or just keep reading in silence. Whichever. Thanks for reading regardless.**

**- Marty**


	3. The Setup

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN _CODENAME: KIDS NEXT DOOR_**

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**_A/N:_**** This story's getting more attention than I'd anticipated. So that's cool. lol Anywho, this is just a li'l filler chapter; leads right into the next one. Apologies for the delay.**

**Thanks to fictionlover94, numbuh 1x1, FrittzyCrazy, and catspats31 for their reviews. **

* * *

**CHAPTER 3: THE SETUP**

* * *

"So, what do you guys want to do first?" Kuki asked, crossing her legs indian-style. She tugged at the bottom of her usual oversized purple nightshirt to completely envelop her legs.

The girls all sat facing each other on the floor at the foot of Kuki's bed. Abby sported donned a blue pajama shirt and matching pants underneath a blue bed robe with a while cloth belt, and, of course, her signature red hat. Rachel wore an aqua colored sweatshirt, purple gym shorts, and long, bright orange socks. Fanny had donned her favorite yellow nightgown with a purple Rainbow Monkey head on the front.

Abby picked a piece of lint off of her sleeve. "Abby ain't really picky. Kinda figured you'd have somethin' planned out."

"Well, _of course!_ But a good hostess always caters to her guests!"

"Not necessarily," Rachel said, stretching her legs out in front of her and leaning back on her arms. "We're at _your_ house, after all. And I'm sure your plans are great!"

Kuki grinned. "Weeeeell… It's more of a list of things we _could_ do, really."

With a chuckle, Rachel leaned forward, and asked, "Well, what's first on that list?"

Kuki brought her sleeve up to her mouth as she pondered the question. "Hmm… well… why don't we start with… Fanny!"

Fanny's eyes widened. She'd been sitting quietly, hugging her knees to her chest the entire time. The sudden spotlight caught her by surprise. "Uhh… m-me?"

Rachel giggled. "Yes, let's start with Fanny!"

Fanny whipped her head over at Rachel in confusion. "W-what about me?"

Abby turned her head to look at the redhead. The poor girl seemed scared, almost. "Calm down, girl; they prob'ly just wanna mess wit' yo' hay-uh or somethin'."

Kuki and Rachel both nodded. Fanny still seemed nervous, though, continuing to hold her legs. Abby stared at the girl. How could the Head of Decommissioning be so timid?

Rachel got to her feet. "Don't worry, Fanny. All you have to do is sit there, and I'll let you know when I'm done!"

Abby smirked, watching as Rachel knelt down behind her reluctant friend. The smirk disappeared, however, when she noticed Kuki staring at her with a determined smirk of her own.

"And what exactly's goin' though yo' mind right now?" Abby asked slowly, raising an eyebrow. To her displeasure, Kuki only furrowed her brow in response. "Girl, you had _bettuh_ not be thinkin' 'bout-"

* * *

The setup in Wally's room was perfect. With some help from his dad, the big TV from the living room was now sitting against the wall across from Wally's bed. The boys had brought up a cartoon channel; they were waiting until everyone was ready before diving into Zombie Conqueror.

Wally sat at the foot of his bed with his legs hanging off the edge. He wore his usual orange pajama onesie. To his left, Patton sat in a similar manor, sporting army green sweatshirt and sweatpants.

"Hurry up, Hoagie!" Wally glared at his friend impatiently. "If we wanna beat this game tonight, we gotta get started!"

Hoagie came around the corner of the bed. He wore a pajama shirt with matching pants and sleeping cap, all sky blue with puffy clouds.

"Calm down! We can't start till Nigel gets back in here anyway. Donno why he went to change in the bathroom…"

"Well, you know how girls are," Patton said with a chuckle. "Gotta go to the bathroom for everything."

Hoagie and Wally chuckled. Even though Patton had never hung out with any of them outside of work before, he seemed right at home. This wasn't a surprise; he and the members of Sector V stayed on good terms, considering how often they'd bring him prisoners to process, and he and Wally in particular seemed to get along really well, probably due to their sharing similar combative natures. Plus, Patton was always very confident in any situation; he'd probably be able to make himself feel at home at Mr. Boss's house.

"Perhaps he simply doesn't want to be mocked as he changes."

The boys ceased their chuckling as Nigel entered the room. He wore red pajama pants and a white sweatshirt with red sleeves and a red "1" on the front. Hoagie and Wally averted their eyes as Nigel quietly strode over to his duffle bag, while Patton watched the TV, still smirking.

Wally decided to risk it. "Yah know, if yah don't wanna be made fun of, actin' like a girl's not gonna put anythin' _behind_ you!"

Hoagie looked up at his friend, and the two exchange mischievous grins. "Yeah! I mean, if anything, it's gonna make it _rear_ difficult to get past!"

Nigel dropped his clothes onto his bag, and spun around. "That's enough of that! I don't want tonight to-!"

Hoagie interrupted his leader by stepping up to him and giving him a friendly pat on the shoulder. "Don't worry, Nigel, we're gonna be having too much fun conquering zombies to get distracted by the size of your butt!"

"Wow, this game's gotta be _amazing_, then!"

Nigel glared at Wally, but said nothing more on the subject.

A faint rumbling caused the boys to each look out the window, which Patton had insisted on opening "for the refreshing breeze."

"Man," Hoagie muttered just loud enough for the rest to hear, "this storm could get pretty bad."

* * *

**_A/N:_**** I doubt anyone was gonna say anything about it, but I wanna address something: I know that, even in their off time (as seen on the show), operatives tended to continue calling each other by their codenames rather than their real names. Well, this is one of the things about the KND I relate with the military: stick with last names and ranks at work, but during time off away from work, go by first names. Everyone has a name; no one wants to be called "sir/ma'am" _all_ the time. It's a fanfiction, I'll do what I want. lol**

**Again, this is very much just a filler chapter. It gets better soon, I promise. ;)**

**Thanks for reading! Don't forget to review. You know, if that's your thing.**

**- Marty**


	4. Nerves

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN _CODENAME: KIDS NEXT DOOR_**

* * *

**_A/N:_**** Man, writer's block has been kicking my butt here lately. I have the big picture planned out, I just keep getting bogged down with the details. This always happens. lol Ah well, guess I'll just keep working on that, eh?**

**Oh, and, AdventurousDame424: your comment made me laugh. I'm glad someone picked up on that. ;)**

* * *

**CHAPTER 4: NERVES**

* * *

A distant rumbling had drawn Abby's gaze to the open window, but Kuki forced her to face forward again.

"Stay still!" the Asian girl commanded.

Abby huffed. Despite her avid protests (and physical resistance), she had been subdued by Kuki, and subsequently had to endure whatever girly shenanigans Kuki had in store. Judging by her eagerness, Abby suspected that Kuki had wanted to girlify her hair for quite some time. Still, she took comfort in the thought that it couldn't possibly be any worse than the time Lizzie tried to take over as their leader.

"Ow! Hey, watch it!" Abby knew her protests were in vain, but she refused to suffer in silence. It was bad enough that Kuki had taken her hat (and was currently wearing it as a sort of trophy), but she _had_ to look ridiculous. Unfortunately, Kuki wouldn't let her see a mirror until she was finished.

Fanny didn't seem to be faring any better. She no longer appeared fearful, though she still looked uneasy. She was also completely silent; despite all of Rachel's pulling and tugging and whatnot, she hadn't made a sound since her initial protests. While the two hairdresser-wannabes didn't seem to notice, Abby couldn't help but sneak a peek over at the redhead every now and then.

"Fanny, do you _ever_ brush your hair?" Rachel asked, her voice exaggerating the effort she was exerting.

"I do!" Fanny defended, and then quietly added, "Sometimes..."

"Well, you should try and remember to brush it more often."

Fanny considered this advice for a moment. "I guess I could try... But it's not exactly a priority when I'm workin'."

"I hear that!" Kuki exclaimed, tilting her head upward so she could see them. "I hate those long missions where my hair gets all messy! Takes too long to fix up afterwards. It can't be easy for you, what with chasing down every kid who doesn't want to be decommissioned and helping run Moonbase and stuff."

Fanny shrugged a little. Kuki waited for an answer for a moment, before realizing it wasn't coming.

Rachel picked up the conversation. "It's not always bad on the Moonbase. Sometimes I'll make it all the way to lunch without screaming at somebody." She, Kuki, and Abby laughed. Fanny joined in with a nervous chuckle after a second; no one seemed to notice the delay.

"So what's it like?" Kuki asked. "Being the Supreme Leader. I've never really heard you talk about it."

Rachel took a deep breath, and then let it out slowly. "It's crazy. I never have a nice, easy day. It seems like almost every Sector in the world goes straight to the Supreme Leader for guidance on _everything_. Sometimes I don't know why I bother giving them leaders when they just come to me for everything anyway!"

Fanny looked up at Rachel, whose speech was growing faster and more intense. "And outside of that, Numbuh 65.3 loves to make sure I'm shoulder deep in paperwork at all times! You'd think I'd have someone to help me with that, but nooooo! Everyone else is suddenly busy and leaving the room! An-and on the bridge, there's-"

"Oookaaay!" Kuki interrupted loudly, deciding to speak up before Rachel ripped any of Fanny's hair out. "Crazy job makes crazy girl. Got it!"

Rachel sighed. "It's just too much sometimes. A lot of the time, actually."

Kuki looked down at Abby's hair, using the hat to cover her frown.

"Well, Abby thinks yah do a great job."

Rachel didn't look up, but her smile gradually returned. "Thanks, Abigail. I don't regret my decision to take the position, but I do miss the simpler days at times."

"Bein' a spy was simpluh?"

"Well, it was less paperwork."

"So... What, do yah not wanna be Supreme Leaduh anymo'?"

"_Can_ you just step down as Supreme Leader?" Kuki asked. "I mean... Just... Out of curiosity."

Rachel hesitated. "It's never been done before. At least, not without leaving the Kids Next Door..."

Fanny twisted around, looking up at her leader with wide eyes. "What?! No, you can't!"

Rachel stared down at Fanny for a long moment. "Of course not. I wouldn't... I _couldn't_ just leave."

As words failed them all, another silence befell the group.

* * *

Gunfire. Explosions. Roaring. Groaning. Yelling.

Despite the pandemonium filling their ears, the boys were unphased. The light from the TV illuminated their determined, transfixed stares in the otherwise dark room. And... they were mashing buttons... and... well, Hoagie's mouth was hanging open a little. They weren't saying anything...

The crashing of thunder could be heard, much louder than before.

...Actually, it couldn't be heard over the TV. The zombie conquering completely drowned it out.

Right, this isn't much of a scene. We'll check back later.

* * *

Abby decided to break the silence. "So, whatcha gonna do then, Rach?"

Rachel froze for a second, before allowing her arms to fall to her sides. "I don't know... Maybe I shouldn't do anything at all."

"That ain't gonna help out anybody. If you ain't happy, then you gotta make a change."

"That's a nice philosophy, Abigail, but I'm in charge of the organization that keeps this insane world stable and safe for kids. I can't just walk away."

Abby turned her head to look straight at Rachel. "Look, girl. Don't take this the wrong way, but you ain't irreplaceable. You'll hafta step down from bein' Supreme Leaduh eventually. An' when that time comes, someone else will be there to take yo' place. They ain't gonna live up to you, but they'll do alright."

"But... how would-?"

"Stop with the worryin'! Just tag onea your top op'ratives or somethin'."

Rachel dropped her gaze down the Fanny's hair, and muttered to herself, "Hmm... _Tag..."_

Another silence began to set in. Kuki wasn't going to have it.

"Well, this hasn't been the cheeriest slumber party so far... But it will be! I'm gonna go get some popcorn!"

Abby looked up at her. "Uh, you fo'gettin' somethin'? Abby ain't sittin' here like this all night!"

"Oh, relax! I'm done. But don't look in the mirror until I get back!"

"I'll come with you!" Rachel exclaimed, seemingly back to her earlier pep. "I'm finished as well!"

And so, the two departed for the kitchen, leaving Abby and Fanny staring at each other.

"Well," Fanny said, putting on a weak smile, "that escalated quickly."

Abby continued to stare. Fanny quietly cleared her throat, and looked around the room. The pink wallpaper was less than surprising, although Rainbow Monkey wallpaper would have been fitting as well. Or flowers. Anything one would define as "girly," really.

She looked back. Abby was still staring.

There was a collection of Rainbow Monkeys drawings on the wall nearby. This girl really liked Rainbow Monkeys, didn't she? Maybe they did have some things in common. Fanny really did love Rainbow Monkeys herself. She even managed a smile.

She looked back at Abby. Still staring.

A Rainbow Monkey in the corner of the room caught her attention. It was yellow, and wore an orange hoodie. Wait, an orange hoodie? She hadn't seen that Rainbow Monkey before. What kind was it?

Was Abby _still_ staring? Man, her poker face was _relentless_.

"What?" Fanny almost cringed at her own question; it sounded much more abrasive than she had intended.

Abby held her stare for a few seconds longer.

"You look ridiculous."

Silence.

"Aye. Probably as ridiculous as you."

Silence.

Continued silence.

Then, laughter. A lot of it.

"Why... what are you laughing at?" Fanny asked, her laughing fit subsiding.

"Heh heh... _You_, girl!"

"_Me?_ Why me?"

"'Cause Abby don't get you! Numbuh 86 is all hard and tough and mean, but _Fanny_ is this skiddish li'l mouse of a girl? What gives? What's wrong with you?"

Fanny looked away. She knew she wouldn't get away without answering; not without the question coming back later. What could she say, though?

"I... uh... I guess... I just don't... want to mess up."

Abby cocked an eyebrow. Before she could say anything, Kuki and Rachel returned, each with a large bowl of popcorn.

"Sooo, you two ready to see how you look?" Kuki asked, closing her door with her foot.

"I think we've agreed that we look ridiculous," Abby said, crossing her arms.

"If by, 'ridiculous' you mean, 'totally amazing,' then yes!" Kuki set down her bowl of popcorn, and helped Abby to her feet. "C'mon, I wanna see your face!"

Rachel extended a hand to Fanny. It took a moment, but a reassuring nod from the blonde convinced her to accept it. Rachel guided her over to the mirror, next to Abby.

"Whoooaaa…"

* * *

**_A/N:_**** Right, this wasn't my best chapter, but I was letting it bog me down waaay too much, so I kinda rushed it out. I'll admit it. Still, everything important is there.**

**And don't worry, the boys will get distracted later. ;)**

**- Marty**


	5. Mushi, The Chapter Filler

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN _CODENAME: KIDS NEXT DOOR_**

* * *

**_A/N:_**** Aiight, filler chapter time! Well, kinda. It's significant, but it's really just setting the stage for Chapter 6. Whatever, let's just get to it. lol**

* * *

**CHAPTER 5: MUSHI, THE CHAPTER FILLER**

* * *

The girl stepped back into the dark hallway. She looked up at each of the three towering silhouettes blocking her path. Most people would have been intimidated by these behemoth figures; she took the first step toward the stairs regardless. The giants quickly stepped aside to make way for her, and fell in behind her once she passed.

As soon as her hands touched the banister, a muffled gasping caught her attention. She slowly rescinded her hand, eyes narrowing in the direction of the one door with light spilling out from underneath. She cautiously approached this door, attentively listening for further clues as to what was on the other side. She pressed her ear against the door. Someone was talking, though their words were indiscernible.

The girl grabbed hold of the doorknob. After quick glance back at the trio of shadows, she twisted it, and pushed it open.

The sudden motion was noticed by the four girls by the mirror on the far side of the room.

"What the...? Who are you?!"

The group leapt toward this intruder, assuming ready stances a few meters away. All four had procured 2x4 technology-based firearms somewhere in the process, not the least bit surprisingly.

The Asian girl spoke again. "Who are you?"

What? Who was she? Was this girl serious? Even in the dark of the hallway, how did she not recognize her?

The girl stepped into light, smirking. "There's some two-foot-tall girl walking around your home who looks _exactly like your sister_. Wonder who it could _possibly_ be?"

Kuki lowered her weapon. "Mushi! Where have you been?! Mom and dad are furious with you!"

Mushi waved her hand dismissively. "They'll get over it. Well, probably not. I don't care. Look, I was just on my way out; just needed to pick up my beach towel. I heard some weird noises, so I thought I'd check it out." Her eyes came to rest on Abby. She looked... _girlier_ than usual. "What's with you?"

Abby growled. "Don't you start."

"Whatever. I'm out, losers."

Kuki raised her weapon. "Oh, no, you don't! You're grounded! You're not going anywhere!"

Mushi's glare locked with Kuki's. "Oh, I'll do what_eeeeever_ I want to." She held her gaze; it was Kuki who looked away first. She, along with her friends, lost her confident composure as her eyes fell on something above Mushi's head. Mushi knew this was because of the three leviathans behind her. She loved their expressions of awe, almost as much as much as she would love their looks of defeat.

"Goodbye, sis. You guys enjoy the rest of your, uh, slumber _party_." Mushi spun around, and glanced over her shoulder before making her dramatic exit. "Oh, and, you might wanna close your window; storm's abrewin' outside."

* * *

The symphony of zombie conquering pandemonium practically shook the house. Perhaps this was what triggered the interruption.

The door to Wally's room swung open, making way for a noticeably annoyed Mr. Beetles. "_Wallabee!_"

Someone paused the game. Wally intended to ignore his father, pretend he couldn't hear him. Couldn't do that _now_. Stupid pauser, whoever it was.

"Yeah?"

"Turn it down, son! It's loud enough to wake up the whole outback from here!"

Wally groaned. "Fine, I'll turn down the cruddy volume..."

Mr. Beetles nodded with satisfaction. "Thank you. Now you boys have fun!"

Wally watched to ensure his father closed the door on the way out. Hoagie handed the remote to him. He stared at it for a second, shrugged, tossed it aside, and resumed the deafening video game just the same.

"_WALLABEE!_"

* * *

After verifying that Mushi was nowhere to be found, the girls had resumed their circle on Kuki's floor. Now, no one talked, not even Kuki. Abby was bothered by this, and had taken to examining each of her friends: Kuki, who was clearly angry with her sister, and probably upset with the current state of her slumber party; Rachel, who Abby figured was still contemplating everything from her earlier episode, judging by her pensive, distant look; and Fanny, who had returned to her normal self during the short confrontation with Mushi, but was now back to nervously combing her fingers through her hair.

Not to be rude, but this was the worst slumber party. Ever. Fortunately, Abby wouldn't be Abby if she couldn't formulate a plan for nearly everything. She calmly put her hair into a ponytail, and then went to work.

"So, girls..." They each looked up at her. "Talked to any _cute boys_ lately?"

To Abby's surprise, all three girls began rubbing the back of their necks and mumbling indiscernibly over each other. They then all stopped at once, and stared at each other with wide eyes.

Abby chuckled. Mission accomplished.

* * *

**_A/N:_**** Apologies for such a long wait for such a short chapter. The last two weeks were really busy (as I knew they would be), so I didn't get much time to write, and I admit I spent most of that working on something else. If it makes you feel any better, I'm back to putting more time into writing.**

**Also, for those interested, I'm working on a Call of Duty fic, circa Modern Warfare 2. It's almost ready, so keep an eye out for it.**

**As always, thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it!**

**- Marty**


	6. Something Something Prank Call PART 1

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN _CODENAME: KIDS NEXT DOOR_**

* * *

**_A/N:_**** Ello, all. I've been on vacation (still am). I still think about y'all, though, and hate leavin' you hangin'. So, I'll go ahead and give you the first part of this chapter,**

**Before we begin, I just wanna say, wow. This story has been getting a lot of attention. I wasn't expecting it to get so much interest, especially since nothing's really even happened yet. Not that I'm complaining, mind you; I'm really glad that everyone's enjoying it. So thanks for all the reads & positive reviews! You're all awesome. Seriously.**

**Anyway, I feel I can safely say that if you like it already, you're gonna like what I have in store. Just do be careful if you try to make predictions...**

* * *

**CHAPTER 6: SOMETHING SOMETHING PRANK CALL (Part 1)  
**

_(I'm not feeling very creative right now)_

* * *

Abby couldn't help but grin to herself as she watched her friends awkwardly dodge each other's glances. Bringing up boys was always a guaranteed ice breaker, but she hadn't anticipated _all_ of them blushing. This could be a lot of fun after all. For her, at least.

"So, who wants to go first?" Abby asked, her amusement apparent in her voice.

Unfortunately, Rachel spoiled her little ploy. "Why don't you go first, Abigail? It's your question, after all."

Drat. Her plan was foiled. Or was it?

"Well, this _is _Kuki's party. Abby thinks _she_ should go first."

Kuki shook her head. "Nuh-uh! Rachel's right. You should go first."

Yeah, her plan was totally foiled. Maybe she could distract them with something.

"Uh... Heh… Kuki, does Abby hear yo' phone ringin'?"

"What? No. Abby doesn't. Now stop-" Kuki was cut off by her house phone ringing downstairs. She stared at her door in disbelief for a moment, before slowly standing to her feet. "I, uh, guess I will go answer that..."

Well, that was convenient. Still, as Abby watched Kuki pull the door open and disappear into the dark hallway, she knew this lucky break would be short-lived. She needed something else.

"So," Rachel started again, eyeing Abby suspiciously, "who _do_ you think is cute?"

"Abby ain't sayin' a thing till the hostess comes back. Don't wanna be rude, aftuh all."

While her excuse gave her a little more time, as well as a brief satisfaction inspired by Rachel's flustered expression, she wasn't in the clear yet. Man, she really should have seen this coming, or at least prepared for it. She was usually pretty good about being prepared, a trait she took pride in. She had to think...

"I wonder who could be callin' at this time of night," Fanny wondered aloud. Rachel and Abby followed her gaze to the Rainbow Monkey clock on the wall.

"Huh. Me, too." Rachel turned her head toward Fanny. "Fanny! Your hair! It… It looks like I didn't even touch it!"

Abby stared at the Irish girl in amazement. Sure enough, her bright red hair had returned its normal wavy frizzyness.

"Dang, girl! You undid all that just by runnin' yo' finguhs through yo' hair?"

Fanny chuckled weakly. "What can I say? My hair is naturally untidy.."

Kuki materialized from the darkness of the hallway. "Well, _that_ was …" She trailed off, her gaze fixed on Fanny. The redhead put on a sheepish grin. "Wow. How do you do that?"

Fanny responded with a small shrug.

"Who was on the phone?" Rachel asked.

"Oh, it was just a wrong number. So, where were we? OH! That's right! Abby..."

An idea popped into Abby's head. This one was sure to do the trick.

"Say, Kuki... do you still have that wireless house phone around here someplace?"

Kuki cocked an eyebrow. "Yeeesss... Why do you ask?"

Abby chuckled. "Would you mind grabbin' it for Abby? She wants to... make a phone call."

Kuki was clearly suspicious, but she complied, leaving the room long enough to retrieve the neon green phone . She extended it toward Abby and waited for her to take it, but the little schemer only grinned.

"You going to make a call, or what?" Kuki asked, apparently not amused with Abby's sudden capriciousness. "You did want to make a call, didn't you?"

"Yep. We're gonna be makin' a phone call."

"Yeah, so- wait, 'we'? Who is 'we'?"

"Us, silly. Mo' specific'ly, _you_."

"_Me? _Why me? And who the heck would I be calling right now?!"

"Hmm, Abby don't know... Ooh, how about _Numbuh 4_?"

Both Kuki and Fanny recoiled at the mention of Wallabee Beetles. Rachel simply smirked.

"_Wally_? Why on earth would I call him in the middle of the night?"

Abby's smirk widened. "Because... Prank calls are the norm for slumbuh parties nowadays." Maybe she needed to add in a little motivation. "Unless yo' too _chicken_, of course." Nailed it.

"I am not! As a matter of fact, I think this will be _fun!_"

"Abby does, too. So why don't you go ahead and dial his numbuh?"

Kuki crossed her arms. "What, you think I have his phone number _memorized_ or something?"

"Do yah?"

Kuki glared at Abby, who remained completely unfazed. This lasted for all of five seconds before the Asian girl begrudgingly dialed a number into the phone, grumbling something about Abby being a smartypants under her breath.

* * *

The rapid tapping of the buttons of the four controllers was constant, almost a white noise. Tap Tap Tap Tap Tap Tap Tap. It was only noticeable now that Mr. Beetles had forced them to turn the TV volume down substantially; of course, the boys could hardly hear the tapping after how loud the TV had been. Still, their virtual zombie conquering campaign continued on unhindered.

Tap Tap Tap Tap Tap Tap Tap Tap Tap Tap Tap.

"Hey, Wally?" Hoagie glanced over at his Australian friend. "Wally!"

Wally didn't look away from the screen. "Huh? What?"

"Toss me a soda."

"What?"

"He said to toss him a soda," Patton said from Wally's left.

"Right." Wally, determined to remain fixed on the TV, felt around to his right. The sodas were there somewhere. Ah, there was one! Wait, that's not a soda can...

"Watch it! That's my leg!" Nigel exclaimed, sliding away from Wally.

"What?"

"He said to punch his leg," Patton answered.

"I did not! _Ow!_ Wally!"

"You're welcome. Ah, here's a soda!" Wally tossed the can to his left, taking care to clear Patton's head, though not really aiming. Thankfully, Hoagie wasn't afraid to look away from the TV, and caught the can with ease.

"Thanks."

"What?"

"I said, 'thanks'!"

"You're welcome!"

"What?"

"I said, 'you're welcome'!"

"Oh. Cool."

"What?"

"He wasn't talkin' to you, Nigel, he was talkin' to me."

"Oh."

Tap Tap Tap Tap Tap Tap Tap Tap Tap Tap Tap.

"Maybe we did have the TV a little too loud earlier.." Hoagie's deduction was met with mumbling agreement from his friends.

"Now I'm hearin' a ringin' in my ears!" Wally exclaimed, cleaning out his ear with his pinky.

"That would be your house phone," Nigel said dully.

Wally relented the battery on his controller and brought his hand to his ear, listening for more ringing. Indeed, his house phone was ringing. Who the crud would call so late? Wally hoped it wasn't Mr. Boss, telling his dad to come in early again. Man, that guy was a jerk.

"You gonna answer that, or what?"

Wally paused the game. "I'm goin', Hoagie. Sheesh."

* * *

**_A/N:_**** Sorry for the cliffhanger. Just wanted to let y'all know I'm still alive. Part 2 shouldn't take too long to finish up.**

**Anywho, I have a new poll up on my page. Just a li'l opinion poll. Stop by and vote if you have a minute.**

**- Marty**


	7. Something Something Prank Call PART 2

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN _CODENAME: KIDS NEXT DOOR_**

* * *

**CHAPTER 7: SOMETHING SOMETHING PRANK CALL (Part 2)**

* * *

Abby, Rachel, and Fanny were lined up in front of Kuki, staring intently.

"Well?" Rachel whispered. "Is he answering? Put it on speaker phone!"

Kuki obliged her request. "He's not picking up- oh! _Shh!_"

**[BREAK]**

Wally noticed his guests had followed him downstairs, and were loitering by the stairs. He figured a middle-of-the-night phone call was more interesting than staring at a pause screen. He picked up the phone before it could ring again, and brought it up to his ear.

"Ello?"

_"Er, hello,"_ answered a guff female voice. _"Is this Wall- er, the Beetles residence?"_

"Yeeeaaahhh... Who's this?"

_"Why, this is... uh..."_ Wally could hear indiscernible whispering on the other end of the line. He glanced over at the other boys, who simply stared back.

"Who is it?" Hoagie asked in a hushed tone.

A different gruff female voice spoke. _"Uh, this is... Flo'rence... from the... Food Storage... Appliance... Association. Uh, we're conductin' a survey for, uh..."_ She cleared her throat. _"Tell me, sir... is yo' refrigeratuh runnin'?"_

**[BREAK]**

"I don't get it," Fanny whispered.

Abby placed her hand over the transceiver. "When he says 'yes,' Abby will say 'bettuh go catch it!'"

Fanny blinked. "Oooh, right! Like it's runnin'! I get it!"

Abby rolled her eyes.

_"Yeah, I think it is."_

At this, Abby smirked at her audience. "Well, yah bettuh-!"

_"Hold on, I'll go check."_

Abby gawked at the phone. "Man, that boy is _dumb_."

**[BREAK]**

The three boys watched Wally set the phone on the table and set off for the kitchen. Patton and Nigel exchanged confused glances.

"Uh, Wally?" Hoagie asked as the blond boy passed him.

"Yeah?"

"What are you doing?"

"I'm checkin' to see if the fridge is runnin'. It'll only take a sec."

The trio eyed Wally in awe.

"Man, that boy is _dumb_," Patton whispered.

**[BREAK]**

"Wait, he's _actually_ checking?" Rachel asked, refraining from laughing just yet.

"Seriously. 'The Food Storage Appliance Association'? That di'n't tip 'im off?" Abby sighed. "Only Wallabee Beetles..."

**[BREAK]**

"So what do you guys think?" Hoagie asked, staring across the room at the phone. "Prank call?"

"No doubt," Nigel answered. "Shall we investigate?"

Patton chuckled. "Let's."

The three crept across the living room to the phone. They exchanged glances with one another, until Hoagie cautiously reached for the phone, as if it might leap at him.

"I think this phone has a speaker," Nigel whispered, hovering his pointer finger over a green button. He hesitated a moment, and then pressed it.

_"Wow. How long does it take to check an' see if the stupid refrigeratuh's runnin'?" _a familiar voice sounded through the speaker. _"It's not a difficult task, even fo' him!"_

Hoagie almost jumped in surprise. "Abby?!"

_"Hoagie?!"_

Patton looked over at Hoagie. "Abby? Numbuh 5?"

_"Is that Numbuh 60?"_

"Kuki?"

_"Huh? Nigel?"_

"Rachel?!"

_"Is this still Beetles' house?"_

"Numbuh 86?!"

_"Uno!"_

"Numbuh 86? Like, Fanny Fulbright?"

_"That's right, tubbo!"_

_"Calm down, Fanny."_

"Rachel? What on Earth is going on?!"

_"It's a slumber party at my house!"_

_"You ain't s'posed to tell 'em! That's why it's a _prank_ call!"_

_"Well, they already know we're not the Food Application Special Society."_

_"That doesn't mean...! Ugh, look, just hang up-!"_

There was a click, and the line went silent, leaving the three boys staring at the phone in Hoagie's hand, dumbfounded. It wasn't until Wally reentered the room moments later that the silence was broken.

"The fridge is still runnin'!" the Aussie announced proudly. "Oi, why'd you hang up?"

Hoagie returned the phone to its place. "Wally, it was a prank call..."

"But... what about the survey?"

* * *

**_A/N:_**** Yeah, so, sorry if that formatting was all weird, jumping between scenes like that. Since it was almost entirely dialog, I thought I could get away with it. It's one of those things that works better on a screen than on a page. Ah well, there it is.**

**As I said before, thank you all for being awesome. Please review if you can. But even if you don't, thanks for reading.**

**- Marty**


	8. A Chink In Her Armor PART 1

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN _CODENAME: KIDS NEXT DOOR_**

* * *

**CHAPTER 8: A CHINK IN HER ARMOR (Part 1)  
**

* * *

**_A/N:_**** Sorry for the wait. I'll admit it, I'm not really warming up to this story like I'd hoped I would. I don't feel like I've done a particularly great job with it so far; I feel like it's mostly filler stuff, moreso than I'd intended. I still like the idea, but now I'm pretty sure it wasn't the best way to start the series. Guess that's bound to happen when you publish stuff chapter by chapter instead of writing the entire story first. lol Ah well, I'm committed, I _will_ see this through. Don't worry, you haven't stuck with me this long for nothing.**

* * *

"Maaayyybe I'm just an amateur, but I don't think that's how prank calls are supposed to go."

"Aw, shaddap."

Abby didn't mind Kuki's joking. It was the Fulbright girl who was grating away at her nerves. Abby could understand a little shyness; the girl _was _pretty far out of her usual element, no doubt about that. But she didn't seem to be loosening up at all, and Abby was starting to get a little curious.

"Want some popcorn?"

"Huh?" Abby blinked, and stared at Rachel's offering for a second. "Uh, no thanks. So, hey, uh, Fanny... mind if Abby asks you somethin'?"

The look on Fanny's face was reminiscent of a puppy about to be reprimanded by its owner. "Uh, s-sure. What is it?"

Abby took a deep breath. She'd never imagined trying to get personal with Numbuh 86 before. "Are you... you know... _okay?_ Like, fo' real? Abby knows you're nervous bein' here, but you really ain't yo'self at all tonight, except fo' when yah yelled at the boys on the phone a couple a' minutes ago." She paused a moment, before deciding to add, "We won't make fun of yah or tell anyone or nothin'. Right, girls?"

Rachel and Kuki nodded and glanced at Fanny, who was a little pink in the face.

"What is it, Fanny?" Rachel asked, making her voice as soft as possible.

"I… It… I donno…"

"Is it about a person?"

"Er… yeah…"

"Someone in your family?" Kuki guessed.

"No…"

"Someone on the Moonbase botherin' you?" Abby suggested.

"No… Well, yeah, but that's not it…"

"A friend?" Rachel asked.

"Uh, n-not really…"

Kuki leaned in closer to Fanny, her eyes wide. "Is it… a _boy?!_"

A burst of laughter, and Abby was flat on her back. "Girl, you serious?!" She sat up, trying to control her laughter. "You really think that Fanny Fulbright would…?" She trailed off, noticing Fanny's checks were almost the same color as her hair. "Oh…"

No one spoke for a moment. No one knew what to say. Fanny was upset because of feelings for a _boy?_

Abby almost couldn't believe it. "So… a boy, huh?"

"Heh… Yep…"

"Who is it?!" Kuki asked excitedly. "Do we know him?!"

"Er... I'd rather not say…"

"No problem," Rachel said, offering a friendly smile. "You don't have to tell us who he is. _But,_ you _do_ have to tell us _about_ him!"

"Oh, uh, okay… Like what?"

"Weeell, how long have you known him?" Kuki asked, her face expressing her keen interest in the topic.

"Uh… a few years, maybe?"

"Wow! Is he cute?!"

Fanny rubbed the back of her neck, blushing and looking away from Kuki at the yellow Rainbow Monkey she saw in the corner earlier. "Uh… yeah... heh heh… he is really cute."

Rachel and Kuki smirked at each other, and Rachel asked, "Does he know you like him?"

"Ah, no."

"No?! Why not?!"

"I just… haven't told him."

"Why not?"

"Because we're not…" She sighed, drooping her head. "We're not even friends."

Abby cocked an eyebrow. "Y'all ain't even friends? How does _that _work?"

"I'd _like_ to be friends with him, but... I guess I'm not exactly the easiest person to get along with..."

"What? Naw..."

Kuki shot Abby a mean look before turning to Fanny. "What do you mean?"

Fanny sighed. "Whenever I try to talk to him, he always says somethin' stupid, or blows me off... unless _I _do somethin' stupid and ward him off first."

"Like what?"

"Like, yell at him for bein' a stupid boy."

"So why not, uh, _not_ yell at him?" Rachel asked, seemingly oblivious to her hand resting in the popcorn bowl.

"Yeah! Not _every _boy is stupid!"

"I used to believe that, Kuki." Fanny looked down at her feet. "But... that was a long time ago."

Abby scratched her head, perplexed by Fanny's disheartenment. It was almost as if Fanny had a story to tell. Wait, could it be there was an _actual_ reason behind her temper toward boys? Abby just _had _to hear this!

"What happened, girl?"

"I don't want to talk about it..."

Oh no, she wasn't getting off the hook that easily!

"Fanny, you're doin' so well so far. Abby promises you'll feel a lot bettuh once you get this off yo' chest! Besides, how can we help yah if we don't know what we're dealin' with?"

Fanny glanced at Rachel, then Kuki. "I... uh..."

Kuki smiled and gave a reassuring nod. "Abby's right. We want to help. Besides, I wanna hear this!"

* * *

**_A/N:_**** I know, that wasn't exactly the smoothest transition into the "what's wrong with Fanny" conversation, but I got tired of wasting time. Ha**

**Please note, I won't be able to update for the next couple of weeks. I should still be able to write, but I won't be able to upload. I'll try to have the rest of this ready by then.**

**Apologies again for the long wait. I know the story has been almost entirely dialog lately, but they're literally just sitting there talking, and I didn't wanna cheapen it by including every menial detail. I do hope you're enjoying it anyway.**

**Thanks for reading,**

**- Marty**


	9. A Chink In Her Armor PART 2

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN **_**CODENAME: KIDS NEXT DOOR**_

* * *

_**A/N:**_** Aaand we're back! Y'all probably hate me for leaving you with that cliffhanger for a couple of weeks. But not enough to not keep reading, right? 'Cause... well, that wouldn't really make sense.  
**

**Since I knew I'd have to wait to upload this chapter anyway, I did my best to sit down with it and not rush it like I have been. When I rush my writing, I tend to forget what my intentions were, and fail to do it any justice. If I want anyone to take my stories seriously at all, I need to do so myself, right? So, I hope you all enjoy this chapter. It's still not the best, but it gets the job done. lol**

* * *

**CHAPTER 9: A CHINK IN HER ARMOR (Part 2)**

* * *

Fanny took a deep breath and straightened up. "I... I don't know if I can..."

Kuki and Abby exchanged wide-eyed glances. They needed to think fast; this was _not_ an opportunity they could let slip away. But what could they do?

"You know, I think it would be easier for us all to open up if we all shared something with each other!" Kuki said, glancing around the group.

Fanny rubbed the back of her neck. "Um... Okay."

"Alright! I'll start. Uh..." Kuki stared off into the distance for a few seconds. "What do you wanna know?"

"Have _you_ ever liked another operative?"

Kuki thought for a moment. For a moment, the other girls weren't sure if she was even going to answer. "Uh... well, there's this one boy..."

"Who's that?" Abby asked, smirking.

Kuki blushed. "Not telling! Anyway, he's really nice... sometimes. And he's really sweet! ...Sometimes. And he's really fun to be around!"

Abby chuckled. "Sometimes."

"No! He's always fun! Well..." Kuki mumbled something to herself, at which Rachel giggled. "He is kind of immature. Sometimes. No one's perfect."

Fanny watched the Asian girl drift off into a state of thoughtfulness. "That's it?" she asked.

"Weeellll... there was this _other_ boy..."

"Go on," Fanny said, leaning forward. "Tell us about him!"

"Well, I haven't known him for all that long, I guess. But he's funny, smart, considerate, kind, and... heh, he's really cute."

"How do you know him?" Rachel asked.

"He... helped us on a few missions. He even saved my life once."

Something clicked in Abby's mind. "Girl, you mean you like Numbuh 81?!"

Kuki's face reddened. "...Yes."

Rachel covered her mouth, trying to mask her laughter. "You like my head of defense?! Wow! I did _not_ expect that! But... I can understand it. Who's this other boy competing with him?"

"They're not _competing!_ And I'm still not telling!"

"Alright. So, does Numbuh 81 know you like him?"

"No. I don't know if he likes me."

"What if he does?"

"Well, it's only _proper_ that the boy ask out the girl! If he does like me, then he'll say so!"

"Does the other boy?"

"I don't... know. Hey, did _you _ever like Numbuh 81? You guys are pretty close."

"Trent? No way. He's like a brother to me."

"Hopefully nicer than yo' real one," Abby muttered.

"So who _do_ you like?" Kuki asked. "You can't be too busy to _like_ someone!"

Rachel shook her head, but couldn't avoid Kuki's disbelieving stare. "Okay, I'll admit, I do like someone. But he's... unavailable... so I don't want to talk about it."

"Unavailable? Like how?"

Rachel frowned. "He has a girlfriend, Kuki."

Kuki blinked and looked away from her friend. "Oooh... I'm sorry.."

"That's got to be rough," Fanny whispered.

"It's fine. So why don't you say anything to Trent, or the other boy? Trent hasn't mentioned dating anyone. Is the other boy dating someone?"

"No!"

"So... Which one do you like more?"

Kuki's gaze fell to the floor. "I don't know..."

"Which one would yah rather be around?" Fanny asked, her voice gentler than Kuki had ever heard it.

"I... I'd have to think about it."

"You should do that before yah say anythin' to either."

"Yeah... I know."

Having excluded herself from the conversation up to that point, Abby sensed Fanny's defences had softened. Perfect. Maybe now they could get some answers out of her. Some tact would still be necessary, but Abby was confident in her persuasiveness.

"How much do you enjoy the company of yo' crush, Fanny?"

Fanny considered the question with an lofty gaze at the carpet. Then, with a smile, she said, "Honestly? Very much. Even if I can't ever act like it."

"Why can't you?" Kuki asked.

"Because... he expects me to be this big, mean, bossy leader, like everyone else does. It would be like askin' him to like a completely different girl."

"Except not at all," Rachel said. "I know there's more to you than being Head of Decomissioning. I know that you're a really great girl. I've no doubt this boy does, too."

"Oh, I do have doubts about that..."

"Then why not prove him wrong?" Kuki asked. "Talk to him alone, or something?"

"I don't think bein' alone with him is a good idea. I don't think he's big on gettin' all mushy, either. Thinks he's too much of a tough guy for that kinda stuff, like every other boy."

"Aw, c'mon, Fanny!" Abby said, shaking her head. "You've _got_ to get over this thing you got against boys! They obviously ain't all bad. Sho'ly this boy you like proves that to yah."

"I... It doesn't mean anythin'."

"Huh? How can you say that?" Kuki asked, scratching her head.

"Look, pretendin' what I want to happen _will _happen, even if I _do_ say somethin' to him, won't accomplish anythin'!"

"Dang, girl, how can you be so skeptical?"

"Because trust doesn't stop boys from hurtin' yah! Likin' one doesn't mean he's not a selfish jerk like all the rest!"

"You mean whatever boy first got on yo' bad side? That was a different time, with a different guy! Why let just some boy make-!"

"_He wasn't just some boy!_"

Even without an echo, Fanny's words rang out clearly and seemed to hang in the air. There was a noticeable amount of anger in her voice, but... it wasn't her usual rage. There was real emotion behind those words. Emotion that had been suppressed for who knew how long.

Now, it was time to release that emotion. Abby had opened the floodgate; the answer she sought would surely pour out, but that also meant seeing everything that came with it.

The girls were treading on unstable ground now. They knew this wouldn't be a pleasant subject- who knew if Fanny had ever opened up about this part of her past to anyone- but perhaps it went deeper than they had anticipated. They were far from prepared for this. Could anyone ever be?

Abby wasn't sure what she was expecting to discover, but she wasn't about to back out now. She mustered up all the courage she could, and asked, "What happened?"

Fanny retracted her legs so she could hold them to her chest. She was noticeably hesitant to respond, though no one was about to rush her. They were ready to be as sensitive as they needed to be. Still, the anticipation was difficult to control.

"It was a few years ago... when I had just joined the KND. I was a normal girl, I think. I liked Rainbow Monkeys and fluffy animals and pink things. But more importantly, I was eager to make a difference in the world. I was so excited when I was assigned to Sector W. I still remember the day I officially graduated from the Cadets Next Door.

"It was also the day... I met _him_ for the first time.

"He was nine. He was... intimidating. Commanding. And a little scary... but... then he was funny, charming, sweet. Honestly, I liked him from the moment I first laid eyes on him. And when he saw me lookin' at him, he walked up to me, introduced himself, and told me what pretty green eyes I had. I just knew right then that this boy was special.

"We stayed in touch. We talked most days of the week. He worked directly for the Supreme Leader, but we still tried to see each other as often as possible, even if was was strictly business. Just seein' him made everythin' a little bit better, no matter what else was goin' on.

"Of course, it usually was work-related; the Kids Next Door was the most important thing in his life. That was probably part of why I wanted to make my way to the higher ranks so badly. I wanted to be important, to be one of the commanders leadin' the KND from Moonbase, especially since that was where he usually worked when not out on a mission. I had dreamt about succeeding in the KND long before I had met him, but, with him in the picture... it all seemed to make perfect sense.

"So, before I had even turned eight, I had become leader of Sector W. I still remember my promotion ceremony. All of my friends- I had made quite a few by then- were there. He was there, too. And he was so proud of me; gave me the biggest bear hug ever. It was the happiest time of my life. I was sure that I was exactly where I was supposed to be."

Fanny paused, realizing that she was smiling at the memory. She squeezed her eyelids shut, and waited until the smile had dissipated. This story wasn't meant for smiles. Her audience would soon understand that.

She took a deep breath, and continued. "One day, he surprised me with a picnic. He packed egg salad sandwiches... my favorite. When we finished eatin', he told me... that he was going on a secret mission, and... he might not make it back. I was so scared. I-I didn't want him to go! But he was the most stubborn...

"Anyway... the next day, he sends me a message: if I joined him on the mission, it would impress the Supreme Leader, and he'd be able to talk him into promotin' me to the same job as him. The job offer alone would've been amazin', but, workin' _with him?_ The chance for that was more than I could've hoped for! I didn't care what I had to do. I would have done anythin'."

She paused, having let another smile formed. Once she corrected it, she continued. "I had no idea what I was gettin' myself into. It wasn't just a mission. It was an entire operation... a small war, really. I... I don't want to get into it- it's classified, anyway- but I've never felt so scared, or helpless... We were losin' operatives faster than we were completin' our objectives. It wasn't his job to protect me- I was supposed to be able to watch after myself- but he tried to. Even when he should've concentrated on the mission!"

Abby watched with wide eyes as Fanny covered her face with her hands. She could guess where this story was headed. It must have been difficult for Fanny to recall these events so vividly; asking her to continue would be selfish.

But, to Abby's suprise, Fanny pressed on. "There were only three of us left. Somehow, we made it to the end." She inhaled deeply. "But... then we were ambushed. I don't even know what happened. Just that it was only me and him when help finally arrived. And everything we had accomplished had been undone. All our efforts, our sacrifices... were in vain. The operation... was a total loss."

When she paused to take a breath, the quivering was painful apparent. It was enough to cause Abby to shift uncomfortably, and to bring Kuki to the verge of tears.

"Wait... Abby still doesn't understand... Why do you hate boys?"

"_Because they all abandoned me when I needed them most!_" Fanny screamed, tears flowing and fists shaking with rage. "Boys _refused to return me to my Sector!_ Boys _let me take all the blame instead of supportin' me! _Boys_ treated me like a traitor!_ Boys... _boys failed to save me when... _when he was the only one... who could've..."

Fanny's outburst lost momentum as she succumbed to her sobbing. While Abby and Kuki were frozen in place, Rachel silently moved from her spot to embrace Fanny, allowing her to cry into her nightshirt. This scene played out for one of the longest minutes any of them could recall. None of them could do a thing but let their heart break with hers.

Eventually, Fanny's face emerged from Rachel's shirt, pink and tear-stricken. She sniffed, then wiped her eyes. "I... I'm sorry... I'm a terrible storyteller..."

"Don't be sorry, Fanny," Rachel said softly. "I told you, I'm always here for you. I was then, I am now."

"And I'll always be your friend, too!" Kuki exclaimed, surprising Fanny with an enthusiastic hug from opposite of Rachel. "I don't take that kind of thing lightly, yah know!"

It took a moment for Fanny to fully comprehend Kuki's promise, but when she did, she couldn't help but smile. "I'm... happy to hear that, Kuki."

Abby approached Fanny as well. "Don't expect Abby to get into the whole huggin' thing. But, she's got yo' back. And she's always just a high-priority transmission away."

Fanny giggled. "Thanks... all of you. I can't tell yah how great it feels to have a group of close friends again. H-hopefully this time it'll last longer, huh?"

The air lightened as the group allowed their laughter cauterize old wounds. Maybe the Sector V girls couldn't fully understand Fanny's past sorrows, and maybe Fanny wouldn't be able to totally recover from her traumatic past for a long time. But maybe, just maybe, she'd be willing to make that journey once she believed that she would never be walking alone.

Kuki released her Irish friend. "So, everyone is feeling pretty good now, right? Nothing to keep us from just having fun now?"

Abby chuckled. "Looks like we're conflict-free fo' the rest o' the night. Though Abby has the feelin' we're forgettin' about somethin'..."

A blinding flash. A deafening boom. The house shook. Next thing they knew, the girls were sitting in total darkness. Perfect reason to scream at the top of your lungs, right? They thought so.

* * *

_**A/N:**_** Yep, some of that stage settin' goin' on here. lol I hope y'all found Fanny's little tale to be interesting. I've already gotten started on the full story, sooo...**

**So, if you've a moment, please do review and lemme know what you think. If not, thanks for reading. You're awesome.**

**And no, the story is not over.**

**- Marty**


	10. Oh, Yeah, The Storm

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN **_**CODENAME: KIDS NEXT DOOR**_

* * *

_**A/N:**_** Aiight, in an attempt to make up for all the stupid-short chapters, here's a nice, lengthy one. Since you've stuck with me this far, I think you'll enjoy it. lol**

**Apologies again for the delay in posting. I actually had this halfway done when I posted the last chapter, only to get writer's block during my free time since. I do despise writer's block.**

**Also, I realized too late that I had uploaded the wrong version of the last chapter; the one I put up had a few of my personal notes remaining that I leave myself when I'm writing, in this case, Fanny's eye color and favorite food. I feel pretty dumb, but I fixed it now. That's what I get for not prood-reading. lol**

* * *

**CHAPTER 10: OH, YEAH, THE STORM**

* * *

"C'mon... c'mon... _Yes!_" Wally leapt to his feet, throwing his arms victoriously into the air. "We did it! We beat the campaign!"

Hoagie sighed in relief. "Finally! I was starting to think we were _never _gonna see the end of that Doctor Ned!"

"You said it, Gilligan!" Patton exclaimed, dropping his controller and cracking his knuckles. "Wasn't worried or nothin', but he did put up one heck of a fight!"

Wally threw several punches at the air. "He was no match for us, though! We're the greatest zombie-conquering team there is! Man, I am in _such_ a good mood right now! _Nothin'_ could ruin-"

The Aussie was interrupted by a monstrously loud boom of thunder. He yelped, tripping on his own feet and falling right off the edge of his bed, faceplanting right next to Hoagie.

"Haha! What's the matter, Wally? _Scared_ of a little thunder? Afraid it might- YIKES!"

Hoagie's taunting was interrupted by the house's power cutting out, which caused him to emit a frightened yelp himself. Wally laughed at him as Patton and Nigel turned on their flashlights.

"Who's a chicken _now,_ tubbo? Hey, what's that beepin' comin' from?"

"Sounds like a distress call," Patton said. "Somebody got an emergency transponder around here someplace?"

"Yes, I brought one," Nigel said, pulling a modified pingpong paddle out of his bag.

"You would bring that to a game night," Hoagie said, activating his own flashlight.

"And it's a good thing I did! Patton was right; it's a distress beacon, right here in our sector!"

"Aw, _man!_ I don't wanna go outside in this weather," Hoagie whined. "Just listen to that wind! And it's a wonder the rain hasn't reached us yet!"

"Then let's roll out before it gets here!" Nigel's statment was met with the moans of his team. "Oh, come on! It's not even that far away. Besides, it's on an official Kids Next Door frequency. Someone may have crash-landed, or something!"

"So where's it comin' from, Numbuh 1?" Patton asked, standing up with the others. "I'll head out with you."

"The storm is interfering with our satellite feed, but it looks like... uh-oh!"

"Uh-oh? What's uh-oh, Numbuh 1?" Hoagie asked, digging around in his bag for something.

"It looks like the signal might be coming from... Numbuh 3's house!"

Wally jumped to his feet. "Kuki?!"

"...And the others, yes."

Wally's cheeks reddened slightly. "Uh, yeah! 'Course!"

Hoagie exchanged amused glances with Nigel and chuckled. "Don't worry, Wally. We know that you consider her a- _heh heh_- close friend."

"That explains the drawing of her on your wall," Patton said, looking at said picture.

"It's her picture! She drew it! From her!" Wally hastily retorted. "She gave it to me, and I didn't wanna be, like, rude or nothin', so I hung it up!"

"Stop wasting time, guys," Nigel said, pulling a blue all-weather suit from his bag. "The girls need our help! We need to get over there!"

"Then I hope you're ready for a shower," Hoagie said, gazing out the window, "'cause it's starting to rain! It's gonna get bad real soon!"

"Then hurry and suit up! There's no time to lose!"

"Right!" Hoagie slammed the window shut, and leapt over to his bag. He withdrew a remote with a single button on it. He pressed the button and dropped it back inside his bag.

"Pretty convenient that we all brought our gear, huh?" Patton commented, already halfway dressed out.

"Sector V is always ready for anything, Numbuh 60!" Nigel stated proudly.

"Well... most of the time," Wally muttered.

* * *

A few minutes later, the four boys congregated downstairs in the dark living room.

_"Everyone ready?"_ Nigel asked through his suit's communicator. Everyone nodded. _"Numbuh 2, what's the status of our transportation?"_

_"It should be here any moment."_

_"Perfect."_ Nigel turned toward the front door, grabbed the knob, and pulled. As soon as the door creaked open, before any of them could even see it, they could hear the torrential downpour, making the muffled tapping on the roof before seem like nothing. Even when the door was fully open, the room remained dark. Despite their flashlights, it almost appeared as though there were a black void outside. A rainy, windy void.

_"Look at that,"_ Wally muttered, still audible over their coms. _"The street's already startin' to look like a stinkin' river!"_

_"That won't be an issue,"_ Hoagie stated confidently.

Nigel took a deep breath. _"Alright... let's move out!"_

Patton exited the house last. He hesitated shutting the front door. "I wonder if our game saved..."

_"Where's our transport? We're not just gonna _walk_ over there, are we?!" _Wally cried.

No one answered. They reached the sidewalk, where Nigel and Hoagie stopped to stare up at the sky.

_"Quite the storm,"_ Nigel commented.

_"Biggest of the year," _Hoagie replied.

_"Oi, are you guys just gonna ignore me, or-?!"_

_"Calm down, Numbuh 4. My machines never disappoint. Here it comes now!"_

As soon as Hoagie finished his sentence, they were treated to the sound of a low-flying jet rapidly approaching and then passing overhead. A moment later, a large object broke through the cloud cover, speeding right toward them. Right before impact, several booster rockets activated on the object's underside, slowing its decent until it came to a stop inches from the ground. Then it dropped, splashing the group with muddy street water.

_"_Hey! _What's this?"_ Wally asked.

_"It's an all-terrain troop transport and attack rover,"_ Hoagie replied, walking up to the vehicle and opening a hatch on the side. The red glow of the inside lights spilled out, illuminating the group. _"I call it the _G.E.C.K.O. _This baby will take you anywhere!"_

_"How smooth is the ride?" _Patton asked.

_"Man, why does everyone get caught up in the details? Everyone inside!"_

Hoagie plopped down in the driver's seat and doffed his helmet. Once everybody else had climbed in, he sealed the hatch shut, and slammed his foot down on the gas.

"Coordinates are locked in," Nigel reported, removing his helmet. "What's our ETA?"

"Hard to say. If everything goes smoothly, then maybe ten minutes. There's a lot of debris on the road, though, and it looks like some places have already begun to flood out by way of Numbuh 3's house."

"So what?!" Wally shouted indignantly, he and Patton removing their helmets as well. "This is an _all-terrain_ vehicle, right? It can handle runnin' over a few twigs!"

"The debris isn't the problem, it's the water. The G.E.C.K.O. is pretty awesome on land, but it's no boat."

Patton leaned forward. "Then what do you suggest we do?"

Hoagie examined several of the screens before him. "We'll go as far as the G.E.C.K.O. will take us. Then, unless someone brought a raft, we'll hoof it."

Patton sat back in his seat, chuckling. "I was _just_ thinking how perfect a night it was for a little stroll outside."

Hoagie glanced over at the boy riding shotgun. "What are you doing, Numbuh 1?"

"I'm analyzing the satellite feed."

"Looking for anything in particular?"

"...Not really."

_"Warning! Warning!"_

The urgency of the computerized voice caused all of the passengers to look around in a panic. Nigel examined several of the forward instruments and looked over at Hoagie. "We're losing power! Status report!"

"Um... It looks like a... uh... major... engine failure... totally unpreventable..."

Nigel poked his head over to the driver's side. After a moment, he turned to glare at his driver. "Numbuh 2... we're out of gas."

Hoagie chuckled sheepishly. "Oh... how 'bout that..."

Wally groaned with exaggerated aggrivation. "We're done for..."

Nigel turned around in his chair to face the Aussie. "We're not in any real danger, Numbuh 4."

"With him around, we are!"

"That's enough!" Patton shouted, standing up. "We've encountered a setback. We can sit here and whine about it like _babies_, or we can keep pushing and _get the mission accomplished!_ So, get your butts outta those seats! Those girls ain't gonna rescue themselves!"

The Sector V operatives jumped to their feet. "Yes, sir!"

Patton smirked and donned his helmet, prompting the rest to follow suit. When they were ready, he spoke into his com. _"The weather might not be our only enemy. This storm is perfect cover for a Teen Ninja attack."_

Hoagie punched a button on the wall. _"Then we'd better arm up!"_ A panel slid open, revealing numerous B.O.T.T.L.E.C.A.P. rifles. Each boy grabbed one.

_"Yah really think the teens are up to somethin?"_ Wally asked.

_"Always. Numbuh 2, get this hatch open!"_

_"Yes, sir!"_

The hatch dropped open, landing with a splash. Patton engaged his night nision, and stepped out first.

_"This rain is unbelievable!" _Hoagie noted out loud. _"Visibility is terrible, and the water's almost up to my knees!"_

_"All the more reason hurry,"_ Patton said. _"_I_ sure don't wanna be out in this crud any longer than I have to!"_

_"The Sanban residence is that way," _Nigel said, pointing down the street._ "We should be able walk straight there."_

Without another word, Patton started off toward the objective, his comrades close behind. They made it maybe twenty feet before Nigel reported trouble. _"Numbuh 60, I'm getting reports of flash flooding in the area!"_

_"Roger that, Numbuh 1."_

_"What do you want us to do?"_

_"Keep pushing."_

Behind their fearless leaders, Wally was sticking close to Hoagie. _"F-flash floods? Those aren't really, like, _real _or nothin', right?"_

Hoagie glanced at his short friend. _"What? Of course they're real!"_

_"Ooh... I got a bad feelin' about this..."_

_"Just relax, would yah? We're only a few blocks away. We'll get there _way _before any flash flood reaches us."_

_"You sure? 'Cause I don't swim, yah know, and-"_

_"Look, if you somehow end up in deep water, just pull this cord on your suit to inflate into a human life raft."_

_"Ohh... cool!"_

_"But you still don't need to worry about it. We're not gonna find any water deeper than this."_

_"Huh. Maybe you're right."_

_"Of course I'm right! I'm _always _right! We're in no danger whatsoever!"_

_"_Numbuh 2!_"_ Patton bellowed through the com. _"Are you _trying _to tempt fate back there?! It's like you _want _us to get swept away in a torrent of raging irony!"_

_"What? No! I'm just sayin' that-"_

_"_Flash flooood!_"_

The group spun around to confirm Nigel's warning. Indeed, a two-story-tall wave was barreling down the street toward them. There was no way they would have enough time to avoid it; they had only seconds before they'd be swept away.

Patton turned to Hoagie. _"I just want to go on record here... I blame you for this."_

Wally's suit suddenly ballooned into a boy-sized sphere.

_"Not _yet,_ Numbuh 4!" _Hoagie cried. _"You pull it _after _you're in water!"_

_"Whatever. I'm mad at you, too."_

The boys shouted at the top of their lungs as the wave hit them with a vengeance. Even for the already-inflated Wally, the rush was disorienting. He surfaced after only a few seconds, albeit upside down. Gravity quickly corrected him. Once he collected himself, he checked his surroundings in a panic. He didn't see anyone else.

_"Guys? Guys?!"_

Hoagie exploded out of the water next to Wally, grabbing hold of a large plank of wood.

_"Numbuh 2!"_ Wally shouted, his relief evident. _"W-where's Numbuh 1? And Numbuh 60?"_

Before Hoagie could answer, Nigel surfaced next to him. Immediately after, Patton surfaced on Wally's other side.

_"Alright, new plan!" _Patton said after catching his breath. _"We need to get out of this mess!"_

_"Solid plan," _Hoagie replied. _"How?"_

_"Workin' on it... There! That tall tree up ahead!"_

_"I see it!"_ Nigel reported.

_"Can we reach that?"_

_"You bet your behind we can reach it, Numbuh 4!"_ Patton replied. He raised his right arm, fired off a grappling hook at the tree, and accelerated ahead of his comrades. Climbing onto the branch lowest to the water, he looked back at them. _"Grab hold of one another!"_

Hoagie grabbed hold of Nigel's forearm and reached for Wally's, but a rogue boulder came between them, pushing them apart.

_"Numbuh 4!"_ Hoagie cried.

_"There's a hole in my suit! _Heeelllp!_"_

_"I think I'll still be able to reach him! You two, get up here!"_

Patton hugged the branch he was on, reaching down toward the water. As Nigel passed underneath, he grabbed hold of his rescuer's hand. Patton grunted under his breath at the sudden strain, but refused to relent. He mustered up his strength, and retracted his arm enough for Nigel to grab hold of the branch. The two then pulled Hoagie up with them.

_"Here comes Numbuh 4!" _Hoagie shouted, pointing. _"His suit is deflating!"_

_"I know it's deflatin'! _I already said that!_"_

_"Numbuh 4," _Patton said calmly. _"I need to you try and steer this way."_

Wally was far too panicked to comprehend any orders. Fortunately, the tide brought him in close enough for Patton to grab hold of his arm. _Un_fortunately, the tide was too strong, Patton was yanked right off his perch.

_"Numbuh 60!"_ Nigel yelled, grabbing Patton's leg. Hoagie, acting on pure instinct, grabbed onto Nigel. This, of course, led to them both following Patton back into the surging flood.

Wally's would-be rescuers all joined him in shouting at the top of their lungs as he led them through the wild ride. They dodged between debris and obstruction, though it was all luck; none of them had any sort of control. Bouncing between waves and being thrown around between clashing tides, they were completely at the mercy of the flood.

_"We're goners!"_ Hoagie cried.

Up ahead, a sideways semi truck came into view. It was positioned directly in their path, right in the middle of the street. It must have been caught on something, because it wasn't moving. There was nothing they could do; they were going to hit it.

Just before impact, the flow shifted. The boys were sucked underneath the truck, just barely avoiding the underside. A instant later, they shot out on the other side, like being ejected at the end of a long waterslide. Their voices combined into a collective "WHOOOAAA!" as they flew through the air. Several loud thuds and grunts later, they found themselves sprawled out on a rooftop. No one moved; they were too busy trying to catch their breath.

Wally sat up first, panting heavily. _"What… who… a-are we dead?!"_

_"No, we're not dead. Ow…"_ Nigel rubbed his lower back as he got to his feet. _"Where are we?"_

_"Looks like we're on top of a two story house,"_ Hoagie reported.

_"I see that. Where are we in relation to our objective?"_

_"Hold on. Satellite needs to re-lock on to our position."_

Nigel nodded, and turned to look at Patton, who was standing at the edge of the roof. He strode over to his side.

_"Looks like the water level is receding,"_ Patton observed. Indeed, the flash flood had moved on. A moment later, only puddles remained.

Wally approached his superiors. _"Right, I vote we hurry up and reach the cruddy girls before another flash flood hits!"_

_"No need," _Nigel said, gazing at the yard below him. _"We're already here."_

_"Huh? Oh… well. How lucky is that? What's our plan, then? We just gonna bust in there and beat up some teenagers?"_

Nigel opened his mouth to respond, but Patton beat him to it. _"Sounds good to me. Let's do it."_

_"Wait, what? We're not going to plan this out or anything?" _Nigel protested.

_"Nope,"_ Patton answered, taking his position next to a smirking Wally. _"Sometimes the best plan is to just jump into it and go from there."_ He shot another grappling hook from his suit into the roof. _"Now come on!"_

Wally and Hoagie promptly followed Patton's lead. Though he hesitated, Nigel wasn't able to argue with Patton now; the boy was one of the KND's toughest fighters, surely he knew what he was talking about… right?

_"Three, two, one, _go!_"_

In a single motion, each boy leapt backward off the roof. They hit the window with all the force they could manage, causing it to shatter and shower down around them as they landed. Well, each boy except Hoagie; as it turns out, the window wasn't quite wide enough for all for of them. He ate a faceful of wall instead.

"Freeze!" Patton bellowed as he and his team energized the flashlights taped to their B.O.T.T.L.E.C.A.P.S. and swept the room. They were met with shrill screaming. "Hey! Leave-!"

He was cut off by a swift kick to the side of his helmet, which sent him tumbling into Nigel. Before either could react, two black silhouettes pounced on top of them, restraining them.

"Oi! Back off, or I'll-!" Wally's threat apparently failed him as he found himself kissing the floor right next to his comrades. If they weren't in such a bind, Patton probably would have laughed at him.

"W-what's happening?" Kuki's voice asked from somewhere in the darkness.

"Kuki?!" Wally growled, and threw his attacker off his back. He jumped to his feet and balled his fists, ready for a fight. He could make out the outline of his attacker jumping back onto their feet, and assuming a similar stance.

"Ugh, sorry about that, guys," Hoagie groaned, lowering himself from the windowsill. "Guess I miscalculated the entrance trajectory…"

The figure over Patton released its hold and spun around. "What?!"

Hoagie shined his light on her. "Numbuh 5!"

Kuki stepped into view of one of the fallen weapon's lights. "Numbuh 2?"

"Numbuh 3!"

"Numbuh 4?"

The silhouette facing Wally facepalmed, and spoke with a very clear Irish accent. "Ugh! Not this _again!_"

Patton and Wally snatched their weapons up as Abby, Kuki, and Fanny switched on their own flashlights. Hoagie chuckled. "I'm sorry, did we cause too much of a _dim_ and wake you girls up? Haha- _Ow!_ Why're you always hitting me, Numbuh 5?!"

Someone shined a light over in Nigel's direction, revealing that it was Rachel pinning him to the deck. She had averted her attention when the talking began, but looked down upon being illuminated. It took a second to comprehend. "Oh, uh…" She blushed, averting her eyes again (though away from the others this time). "N-Numbuh 1…" Her eyes darted around the room, eventually finding their way back to him. That was when she realized he was still pinned beneath her. "Oh! Uh, here, let's, uh, get you up… Sorry…"

"So what the heck are you boys doin' here, anyway?" Abby asked, her question open but plainly directed at Hoagie as the boys all removed their helmets.

"We detected a distress beacon at this location," Patton answered, ignoring her cue. "Seeing as it was on an official Kids Next Door frequency, we were obligated to—"

"Oh, save it! We know the protocol!" Fanny interrupted.

"A distress beacon?" Rachel repeated. "We didn't activate a distress beacon."

"Wait, so you weren't being held captive by evil teenagers?" Wally asked.

"What? No! We were telling scary stories before you came barging in."

Hoagie scratched his head. "In the dark?"

"Well, no. We turned off our flashlights when we heard people walking around on the roof."

Abby chuckled. "We thought _you_ were the evil teenagers!"

"Anyway, no one sent out any emergency broadcasts or anything from here."

Kuki chuckled nervously, drawing everyone's attention to her. "Weeell… actually… as it turns out, when the power flipped off, I maybe kind of tripped and accidentally activated mine because I was scared…" Her volume dropped with the last few words.

Everyone groaned.

"Well, good job responding to the call. It's nice to know I can depend on each one of you," Rachel told the boys with a smile. She noticed Fanny glaring in the corner of her eye, but thought nothing of it.

"Even if y'all got your butts kicked by a buncha _girls,_" Abby jested.

"Ha! No way!" Wally shouted. "I was right about to beat the snot outta all o' yah!"

"Yeah, right! That's why you went down so easily, aye?" Fanny jeered.

"You just caught me off-guard! I got you off! Consider yourself lucky someone turned their light on!"

"_I_ should consider _my_self lucky?! Oh, no, _you_ are the lucky one here!"

"That's real rich comin' from a _girl!_"

Fanny took a step toward him. "Alright, Beetles! C'mon! I'm gonna shut that big mouth o' yours!"

Rachel intercepted them by stepping between them. "That's enough from both of you!"

"Hey, where yah going, Numbuh 1?"

Hoagie's question drew everyone's attention to Nigel, who had made his way back over to the window. He didn't acknowledge the question, only turned away and donned his helmet.

"Numbuh 1? Are… you leaving?" Rachel asked, sounding as though she was confused.

Nigel stared out into the dark night for a moment, before turning to the group. "I have to go check on Lizzie. Make sure she's okay."

"Seriously? She's fine, Numbuh 1!" Hoagie proclaimed, throwing his arms up dramatically. "You don't have to check in with her with every little thing that happens!"

Nigel turned back to the window. "I'm not with her because she makes me, you know."

"Why _are_ you with her?" Wally asked, equally indignant.

Nigel opened his mouth, but no words came out. He twisted around, and climbed up onto the windowsill. "I'll see you back at Numbuh 4's house soon." And with that, he was gone.

The group he left behind gaped at the window in various states of disbelief.

Hoagie turned and started talking with Abby and Kuki. "Man, can you believe him? I swear, that guy…"

Fanny, for whatever reason, approached Wally. "Um, N-Numbuh 4?"

"Huh? What is it?"

"I, um, I hope you're not mad about me for, like, tacklin' you and stuff…"

"Ah, well, you know, sometimes a _girl_ might get lucky, and-"

"What does _that _have to do with anythin'?! Why, I oughta…!"

Well, that escalated quickly. Fortunately, Patton stepped in to mediate. "Now, hold on you two…"

The room was teeming with energy. No one paid any mind to Rachel, still standing in the middle, still staring at the window. She was frozen. After some time, her shoulders slowly drooped, and her lips parted very slightly. "Oh…"

* * *

_**A/N:**_** There. Just one more chapter left. I know it's bad to say, and I've said it already, but I just wanna be done with this one. lol**

**I wanted to embrace the more exaggerated, dramatic side of KND's "rescue" missions. It's a little more difficult to do in writing than animation. At any rate, I hope it was entertaining.**

**New poll on mah profile. Check it out.**

**Thanks for reading,**

**- Marty**


	11. The Dream

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN _CODENAME: KIDS NEXT DOOR_**

* * *

**_A/N:_**** Wow, so this chapter took entirely too long to write, as I'm sure you all noticed. I really am sorry about that. It wasn't my fault for a few weeks... Life has to come first, of course, but I still hate leaving my readers waiting, especially when you've been so supportive.**

**I told myself I wouldn't split chapters anymore, but... yeah. **

* * *

**CHAPTER 11: THE DREAM**

* * *

Moments after the last boy leapt out the window, the lights conveniently turned back on. Kuki and Abby exchanged bewildered glances. Fanny blinked rapidly, taken aback by the sudden brightness.

"Well, _that_ was interestin'," Abby said, readjusting her hat. "One thing's fo' sure: Abby ain't ever been to a slumbuh party quite like this before."

Kuki spun around and reached from something on her dresser. "Look at the bright side. Since everybody is wide awake now, we have time to watch The Tremendously Mushy Rainbow Monkey Falls In Love Romancical!_ On ice!_"

Rachel grinned at her friends' enthusiastic squeals, but couldn't bring herself to join in. When the last of the adrenaline had drained away, she was left with no energy whatsoever. It was late, and she had decided that she would go into work the next day. The others could fight to stay awake all they wanted, but Rachel was done resisting things for the day. In that moment, her sleeping bag was inviting her in.

Fanny bounced up and down where she stood. "Ooh, I haven't seen this one yet! This is the one about Humble Hero Rainbow Monkey, isn't it?"

"Yes!" Kuki shrieked. "And it introduces Space Pirate Lady Rainbow Monkey and the Beautiful Proper Princess Rainbow Monkey, who clash in an eternal battle for his _loooove!_"

"Rachel? You turnin' in already?"

Rachel parked herself on her open sleeping bag, and fell back onto her pillow without so much as a look in Abby's direction. "I am."

"You tired?"

Rachel inhaled deeply. "No." She pulled her blanket up to her chest, and turned away from the group. "Good night."

* * *

"_Man_, what a night!" As he passed through the doorway, Hoagie haphazardly tossed is helmet off to the side, which hit the ground with a loud _thud_. He headed toward his sleeping bag, shedding his suit as he went. Behind him, Patton, followed by a pouting Wally.

"Yah know, most kids would say it would stink to have a lazy night of video games get disrupted by a mission in the middle of the storm of the year. But I had a blast."

Hoagie, already down to his underwear, cocked an eyebrow in Patton's direction. "Seriously?"

"Yup! Gets the heart pumpin'! Keeps you on your toes! Keeps you from getting bored! Reminds you that you're always important!"

Wally scoffed, zipping up his onesie. "Ha! Who needs that? I'm important enough in my off-time; I don't need random people botherin' me when I'm at home!"

Patton opened his mouth, only to close it and look away without a word.

A blinding flash took them all by surprise. All eyes turned to the window to witness Nigel Uno make his dramatic entrance. The moment his feet hit the hardwood floor, a booming crash of thunder filled their ears, shaking the house. He did not look pleased. Without doffing his equipment, he stomped across the room. The helmet hindered his peripheral vision, making it easy to avoid the looks of the others.

He could hear whispers behind him. It went on for a moment, before it cut out. Then, more whispering, with more intensity this time. And then more silence.

"Well?"

Nigel removed his helmet, his back still turned to his friends. "Well, what?"

Wally kicked his boots out of his way as he took a few steps toward Nigel. "How's Lizzie?"

Nigel glanced over his shoulder. "Why do...?" He turned away, and began changing out of his suit and into his pajamas. "She's fine. Storm hadn't even knocked her power out."

"Good."

Nigel spun around. "Do you really want to know, Numbuh 4?"

"Not really. It's just... if she's gonna be all important to you, an' stuff, then... I guess we should... stop stressin' yah about it. 'Cause, you know... She does enough of that already."

Nigel glared at the boy. "Is this some sort of joke?"

Wally crossed his arms. "Nope. I mean, don't think this means any of us wanna hang out her or nothin'. We still don't like her. Like, at all. But we won't pester yah about bein' with her any longer."

Nigel eyed each of the boys from behind his shades. No one was giggling or grinning. "Why the sudden change of heart?"

"I drew the short straw."

"Huh?"

Wally sighed. "We're your pals, mate. If yah really like her, then we'll go along with it." Wally uncrossed his arms, his face super serious, and pointed at the smile spreading across Nigel's. "_But_, if she _ever_ crosses you, or any of us, _again_, we're not gonna let her get away with it. You've gotten her outta a lotta trouble, just 'cause she keeps sayin' she does it for you. Anyone else woulda been the most wanted criminal of the KND by now."

Nigel chuckled and avoiding Wally's gaze. "She's really a good girl. She just... doesn't know how to go about things sometimes, and can be a little... extreme."

"She tried to brainwash you!"

"She learned her lesson!"

"She sided with the delightful dorks!"

"I mean, she _was_ offered cake..."

"_She made us wear dorky costumes!_"

"Hey, uniforms aren't a bad idea! Her ideas were just, um... unusual..."

Hoagie scoffed. "Crazy, you mean. But, whatever. It's not like _we're_ the ones dating her."

Nigel laughed. Hoagie's comment wasn't very funny, but that wasn't the important part. "Guys... I donno what to say..."

"Then don't say a thing!" Patton snatched the TV remote up from the floor. "It's getting' too girly in here, _aaand _there's a zombie movie comin' on right now! A fitting way to end the night, if you ask me."

The boys all cheered. Hoagie and Wally sprang toward the TV, but Nigel refrained "You guys enjoy it. I'm going on to bed."

Wally waved him off. "Eh, suit yourself."

Nigel smirked, satisfied that his friends weren't going to challenge his turning in early. He finished changing into his pajamas, laid his shades on Wally's dresser, and slid into his sleeping bag. His eyes remained open, however, staring up at Wally's ceiling. It would be some time before sleep would come to him.

* * *

_The blizzard raged on, pounding against the walls and windows of the cabin. The wooden structure stood fast; the snow was a far cry from being an intimidating force. The walls would still stand after the sun finished setting, and would endure till morning. But within those walls, a much different storm was brewing. One much more... _volatile_. The duet of discord from within could be heard from the surrounding woods._

_"Don't keep your back to me when I'm talking to you! That's _rude_, Nigel Uno!"_

_"I wouldn't... IF YOU WERE TALKING! This isn't talking!"_

_"Oh, so we're being Mr. Jerk McSmartypants now, are we?"_

_"_Weee_ are just trying to _make a point!_"_

_"So make it already!"_

_"I have! I always do! But you ignore everything you don't want to hear!"_

_"Are you going to be rude all night?!"_

_"Are you going to act like a baby all night?!"_

_"THAT'S IT! Out! Get out!"_

_The front door flew open, producing a column of light leading into the treeline. Nigel stomped through the doorway, not bothering to shut the door behind him. He zipped his jacket up, and stormed away from the house._

_Once the light behind him had faded into the same shade of grey as the rest of his surroundings, he relented his stomping, slowing until he came to a halt before a particularly tall tree in a clearing. His blood still boiling, he glared up at the mess of branches and leaves above him. With a boisterous roar, he whipped out his concealed S.P.I.C.E.R., and fired. Bark exploded into the air, the snow around the tree trunk melted. Smoke obstructed Nigel's vision, though his eyes remained locked forward._

_The smoke cleared. Nigel's outburst appeared to have had no effect. Seconds later, an earsplitting _SNAP_ seemed to prove otherwise. The colossus seemed to waver for a moment. When it fell, it created a loud creaking, which lasted until it made impact with the forest floor._

_It was silent again, though brighter now, since the area was no longer hidden from the moonlight. A previously unnoticed silhouette continued to spy as Nigel momentarily closed his eyes, drooping his head the slightest bit. A deep breath brought just enough cold air into his system to keep him from overloading. Two fists unclenched as the rage seeped out, leaving him to deal with whatever remained._

_He sighed, shoving his hands into his jacket pockets and staring up at the sky. The occasional breeze would howl through the trees, breaking the silence just enough to keep him firmly planted on planet Earth, not wherever his mind may try to wander to._

_The soft crunching of snow undoubtedly alerted him to the presence of someone approaching him from behind. He didn't show it, though. He probably figured that it wasn't Lizzie; she would have been screaming at him by now. The muffled footsteps continued until she was right next to him, joining him in his skyward trance._

_"I guess that tree got what was coming to it." Rachel spoke quietly enough to avoid shattering the serenity of the frosty woods. She didn't wait for a response to this comment. "Can't see a single star tonight."_

_The last of the sunlight was dying, but the moon was bright enough that they could still see, even through the clouds. It hardly felt like night at all._

_"It was blocking the moonlight." A chuckle escaped Rachel's lips, though it had no effect on him. "It just so happens that I like the moon."_

_Indeed, the moon was particularly bright tonight. The amount of light penetrating the clouds was unreal. Nothing was going to keep it from getting through._

_"So, I was walking by..."_

_"And you heard us."_

_"I... Yeah."_

_"Can't say I'm surprised. It was pretty loud."_

_Rachel dropped her gaze first, focusing on him._ _"What was it about?"_

_A few long seconds passed before Nigel looked away from the sky, electing to stare at the newly-severed tree. "The usual. She doesn't want me to do anything that would take me away from her."_

_Rachel faced away from Nigel. "Well... It's normal to want your best friend to stay close."_

_"That's not it. She doesn't want me around other people. May as well try to keep me in a cage." He sighed. "Why does she have to be like this? She's such a great girl..."_

_Outside of Nigel's peripheral vision, Rachel bit her lip. "She had better be... to be with a guy like you." Both kids turned their heads toward each other, making eye contact for the first time. "You're not just any guy, Nigel. Not just any girl can handle that. Most of them couldn't."_

_Nigel turned his whole body to face her. "Do you... do you think she's capable? Of staying with me?"_

_Rachel lost her breath, ceasing all movement. Her eyes were locked intently on his, as his were on hers._

_"I don't know, Nigel. That's your call to make."_

_An appropriately timed breeze caused both kids shiver, disrupting their stares. Nigel recovered quickly; Rachel, on the other hand, was trying to turtle her way to warmth. At the sight of this, Nigel actually smiled. Rachel responded in kind._

_"Don't you say a word. It's chilly."_

_Nigel chuckled, and took one last look at the night sky. Though the clouds showed no sign of clearing, his smile remained dauntless as he looked back at Rachel. "It is, isn't it?" He swung his arm around her, placing his hand on her opposite shoulder. "Come on. I'll walk you home."_

* * *

**_A/N:_So, whose dream was that? Stay tuned for part 2, the finale, hopefully soon!**

**Hope everyone's doing well,**

** - Marty**


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